St Gildas: First historian of the British Church, hermit, missionary, prophet, miracle-worker, preacher and loyal son of Rome!

Many of us are familiar with the life and writings of St Bede, especially his Ecclesiastical History of the English People. This man's saintly life and scholarly work have rightly earned him the distinction of being considered England's first historian. But, how many of us are aware of the fact that another saintly monastic had written a theological history of the British people well over 100 years before Bede's birth? The monk in question is St Gildas Sapiens (the Wise) - also known as Gildas Badonicus - and his work was the glorious masterpiece, De excidio Britannae (On the Ruin of Britain). Today happens to mark this holy man's feast day.

St Gildas was born, as he himself tells us in De excidio, during the year the Britons gained their famous victory over the Saxon invaders ("our cruel foes" as Gildas refers to them) at Mount Badon, near Bath - hence his epithet, "Badonicus." This places his birth sometime between 493 - 516 AD, though most historians opt for the year 500 for convenience's sake.

Two ancient Lives of St Gildas exist, and whilst both seem to have relied on different sources, they paint very similar portraits of the learned monk. The first vita (here) was written by an anonymous Breton monk of Rhuys Abbey (founded by Gildas), sometime during the 9th century. The second life (here) was composed by Caradoc of Llancarfan, a 12th century Welsh cleric who also happened to be a friend and contemporary of Geoffrey of Monmouth. Other men, such as St Bede (writing in c 730) and St Columbanus (writing to Pope St Gregory the Great in 595 AD) also mentioned Gildas in their writings. It was St Bede who first referred to Gildas as "Historian of the British."

Certain historians have concentrated too much on some unchronological or contradictory statements that arise in both biographies, which have led them to contend that there were at least two saints named Gildas. The more general opinion amongst scholars, however, is that there was but one St Gildas*. One of the main difficulties that arise from studying Gildas's life is the precise location of the saint's death - normally dated to 570 AD. It seems that the first biography attests to the fact that Gildas died in Brittany, where he had lived the eremitic life during his last decades, and where there are to be found numerous villages, towns, wells and churches dedicated to him. Caradoc seemed convinced, though, that the holy man died at Glastonbury - where he was buried and revered, and which was a place that the saint was connected with during his life. Of course, it is possible to die in one place, but to be buried in two, or more, locations! It is more than possible that Gildas died and was buried in Britanny, but some of his important relics were enshrined at Glastonbury.

He hid himself in the beehive of the mother church, so that he might put forth the mellifluous words of the Gospel (a monk of Rhuys)

Both biographies largely agree, and from them it is possible to construct a pretty reliable history. Gildas was born in the Old North - that is the old British north, that is now called Strathclyde. He was the son Cau, a Romano-British nobleman, whose other sons went on to fight the Saxons and to create small kingdoms. Gildas, being the son of a high-ranking Briton and a good Catholic, was given the best education available at the time, and was taught by St Illtud at his monastic college in Llanilltud Fawr. Two of his contemporaries at school were St Samson of Dol and St Paul Aurelian - who in his turn became St David's teacher. We can be sure that Gildas received an excellent classical education, for his writings contain numerous references to Scripture (both the older Vetus Latina translation and the Vulgate text) as well as the ancient writers and Church Fathers, such as Vergil (Aeneid), Rufinus, Orosius, Sulpicius Severus, John Cassian and Prudentius. Gildas's De excidio is not only well written, erudite and witty, but is grammatically perfect. All these factors attest to the fact that his education must have been within the walls of a British monastery, such as Llanilltud Fawr - which was known throughout Europe as an excellent centre of learning.

The entry on St Gildas in The Catholic Encyclopedia (here) takes up the tale, summarising the saint's life, thus:

Having embraced the monastic state, he passed over to Ireland, where he was advanced to the priesthood. He is said to have lived some time in Armagh, and then to have crossed to North Britain, his teaching there being confirmed by miracles [He preached against various heresies and heterodox teachings whilst back in the Old North]. On his return to Ireland, at the invitation of King Ainmire, he strengthened the faith of many, and built monasteries and churches [He also wrote a monastic rule during his time in Ireland - which wasn't as harsh as St David's strict regula, even if Gildas himself lived such an austere life that he always looked as if he were in the grip of fever!]. The Irish annalists associate him with David and Cadoc in giving a special liturgy or Mass to the second order of Irish saints. He is said to have made a pilgrimage to Rome [even making a special "Celtic" bell for the pope**]. On the homeward journey his love of solitude caused him to retire to the Isle of Houat, off Brittany, where he lived a life of prayer, study and austerity [Gildas speaks about the many Britons who had migrated to Brittany in his De excidio, and seems familiar with the place - as were St Samson and other British saints who moved to the safety of "Little Britain" during the 6th century]. His place of retreat having become known, the Bretons induced him to establish a monastery at Rhuys on the mainland whither multitudes flocked [The place is now called Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys]. It was at Rhuys he wrote his famous epistle to the British kings [De excidio Britanniae]. His relics were venerated there till the tenth century, when they were carried for safety into Berry. In the eighteenth century they were said to be preserved in the cathedral of Vannes. He is the patron of several churches and monasteries in Brittany and elsewhere [such as Wales, Somerset and London***]. His feast is locally observed on 29 January; another feast, 11 May, commemorates the translation of his relics. (comments in parenthesis mine)

In his letters and other works, especially De excidio Britannae (which is essentially a long sermon), Gildas proves himself to be an exceptional intellect and prophet, as well as a man of deep humility and sanctity. No one is sure when Gildas wrote his magnum opus, but most historians date its publication to about 550 AD. Gildas himself probably sat on the work for quite some time before that date. In fact, some of the British kings whom he rebukes (in the last part of De excidio) might already have died shortly before the middle of the 6th century.

Kings feared him as a man to be feared, and obeyed him after hearing his acceptable preaching (Caradoc of Llancarfan)

Gildas starts his De excidio with these beautiful words:

Whatever my attempt shall be in this epistle, made more in tears than in denunciation, in poor style, I allow, but with good intent, let no man regard me as if about to speak under the influence of contempt for men in general, or with the idea of superiority to all, because I weep the general decay of good, and the heaping up of evils, with tearful complaint. On the contrary, let him think of me as a man that will speak out of a feeling of condolence with my country's losses and its miseries, and sharing in the joy of remedies.

(I sometimes think I should use this paragraph as a description for this blog!)

In his rather long sermon, Gildas paints a vivid history of Britian, both before and during the Roman occupation. He also writes about the coming of Christianity to these shores (which he dates to the time of Tiberius, and therefore the earliest days of the Gospel), and of our first martyrs (under Diocletian):

Meanwhile, to the island stiff with frost and cold, and in so far distant corner of the earth, remote from the visible sun, He, the true sun, even Christ, first yields his rays...

He of His own free gift, in the above mentioned time of persecution, as we conclude, lest Britain should be completely enveloped in the thick darkness of black night, kindled for us bright lamps of holy martyrs... I speak of Saint Alban of Verulam, Aaron and Julius, citizens of Caerlleon, and the rest of both sexes in different places, who stood firm with lofty nobleness of mind in Christ's battle.

Being well versed in the Hebrew Bible, Gildas takes on the role of a holy prophet in his De excidio, and sees God's work in all things - especially in the ebb and flow of history. He warns the people of the consequences of their "monstrous" sins, and condemns the kings for their tyranny. He also describes how Britain became Christian and how her Church was a devoted branch of the Catholic Church for many centuries. He also condemns the "two foreign tribes of extreme cruelty" - the Scots (i.e. Irish brigands) and Picts - who began to threaten Britain as Rome fell in 410 AD. Gildas saw God working through his nation's enemies - which he saw as an opportunity to call the people to repent for their sins. The saint assumed that handing over the British to cruel peoples, such as the Picts, was God's way of punishing a favoured people for their wrong-doing.

Of course, St Gildas devotes a large section of his De excidio to ancient Britain's "greatest enemy" - namely:

Those wild Saxons, of accursed name, hated by God and men...

He says that prior to the coming of the Saxons, the Britons had fallen into vice - even to committing the sins of Sodom and other vile practices. He tells us that clerics and bishops had become as bad, if not worse, as barbaric pagans, and that the people had effectively abandoned the precious light of Christ. Even worse, the Britons began to "[hate truth] together with those who defend it", and they:

loved falsehood together with its fabricators, undertaking evil for good, respect for wickedness rather than for kindness, desire[ed] darkness in preference to the sun, [and] welcom[ed] Satan as an angel of light.

By their turning away from God and the saints He sent them, the British were becoming blind to the truth, and to any form of wisdom. Gildas was echoing what St Paul warned of in his Letter to the Romans:

Claiming to be wise, they became fools; and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (Romans 1: 22-28)

The British kings and noblemen, who refused to listen to the saints, and whose Church had become inept, began to act foolishly and foolhardily. Thus, their overlord, Vortigen, invited the Saxons to come over to these isles to protect the natives from the Picts and Scots. As Gildas puts it:

Nothing more hurtful, certainly more bitter, happened to the island than this.

Of course, once the ruling men of Britain had realised their mistake, that those they asked to protect their nation were actually worse and more cruel than their old enemies, it was too late:

For the fire of vengeance, justly kindled by former crimes, spread from sea to sea, fed by the hands of our foes in the east, and did not cease, until, destroying the neighbouring towns and lands, it reached the other side of the island, and dipped its red and savage tongue in the western ocean... So that all the columns were levelled with the ground by the frequent strokes of the battering-ram, all the husbandmen routed, together with their bishops, priests, and people, whilst the sword gleamed, and the flames crackled around them on every side. Lamentable to behold, in the midst of the streets lay the tops of lofty towers, tumbled to the ground, stones of high walls, holy altars, fragments of human bodies, covered with livid clots of coagulated blood, looking as if they had been squeezed together in a press; and with no chance of being buried, save in the ruins of the houses, or in the ravening bellies of wild beasts and birds; with reverence be it spoken for their blessed souls, if, indeed, there were many found who were carried, at that time, into the high heaven by the holy angels. So entirely had the vintage, once so fine, degenerated and become bitter, that, in the words of the prophet, there was hardly a grape or ear of corn to be seen where the husbandman had turned his back.

The annihilation of Britain by the Saxons led many of the Britons to turn back to God, as they saw for themselves the true horror of godlessness in action, and as they desired some spiritual comfort during this time of affliction. By doing this, according to Gildas, the British managed to stop the Saxon advance at the Battle of Mount Badon - famously won by a duke named Arthur, who carried a Cross on his back for three days and nights as penitential preparation for the fight! It is interesting to note, though, that Gildas does not refer to Arthur as being the man responsible for this great victory (or to his carrying of the cross) - that may be due to an enmity between Gildas's family and Arthur's, which is described in Caradoc's Life of St Gildas.

The final part of De excidio concentrates on calling various British kings to repentance, urging them to see that sin leads to God's wrath and to the loss of civilization and peace. In fact, so harsh is Gildas's condemnation of these kings that some historians claim that the saint's rather unusual name was a nom de plume, designed to keep the author's identity a secret, and his life intact!

Today's Britain and De excidio Britanniae

Of course, some modern-day theologians would cringe at the concept that God punishes nations for the misdeeds of their people - as He once did with the Israelites. Gildas, though, believed that a nation which turned its back on its once Christian heritage ran the risk of losing God's grace, and could very well end up being humbled by being subjected to a foreign and Christ-less power. Those who turn away from the truth, tend to live in utter darkness and confusion - even if they themselves think that they're unrivalled in intelligence and wisdom! Vortigen and the British allowed a savage hoard (the Saxons) into their land, who soon turned against their host nation - subjecting the people to slavery and death, whilst plunging a vast part of Britain into pagan tyranny.

The parallels with today's Britain are quite obvious. The Saxons themselves, who had eventually accepted the Cross, became a Christian nation within the British isles. The Scots, too, became a kingdom. The ancient Britons remain virtual outcasts in their own land - living in the wilderness that is Wales. But, all three nations remained, until recently, Christian. In fact, Britain as a whole became very successful, and ruled a vast empire until 60 years ago - an Empire very similar to the Roman one that had counted these islands amongst its richest province.

Rome fell, and so has Britain fallen. After the fall of Rome, the province of Britannia became dissolute - even abandoning the laws of God. It could be said that modern Britain has moved far away from the Decalogue, too! Just as the ancient Britons exchanged the truth for a lie, our society has become blinded by its own arrogance. Gildas's compatriots invited an ancient enemy to come and live amongst them. We, today, have - for some bizarre reason - invited peoples to come and live in our cities and villages who have spent centuries opposed to our culture and our Christian heritage. Will we end up ruing the day we turned away from God, and let potential enemies through the gates?

If so, remember that the ancient British came back to their faith during the dark days of defeat, and God raised many saints for them during the 6th and 7th centuries. He even sent missionaries to the Saxons, eventually making them an even greater Christian nation than the Britons had once been. Nothing is impossible with God.

Be prepared for the second "Ruin of Britain" - but also, be ready to see a flourishing of saints and holy men and women, the like these islands haven't seen for quite some time!

Sant Gildas: gweddia drosom ni!

S. Gildas: ora pro nobis!


* Cf. Lanigan, Leland, Healy, Stingfleet, Mabilon, Bollandus, and O'Hanlon - as mentioned in the Catholic Encyclopaedia article (above)
** He is also said to have made a special bell for St Bridget of Kildare, and some believe that he had been taught the art of bell casting - he is patron saint of bell casters.

*** There is even a RC primary school in London called St Gildas (in Crouch End), which was founded in 1915 by the Sisters of St Gildas, a French religious institute from Saint-Gildas-des-Bois.

[Picture note. Top left: The statue of St Gildas at Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys. Above right: The abbey church of St Gildas, Saint-Gildas-de-Rhuys; source: Wikimedia Commons (here), attributed to Romary. Above left: Chapel of St Gildas, on the banks of the Canal du Blavet, Brittany; source: Psychology and Personal blog (here). Bottom right: De Excidio Britannae, Dodo Press (reprint of the 1899 translation); source: Amazon (here). Bottom left: St Gildas as he appears on the coat of arms of Saint-Gildas-des-Bois, the abbey town which once held the relics of St Gildas - translated from Rhuys; source: Wikimedia Commoons (here)]